Backstrom credits UMD alum, citing his pro experience

DALLAS — Bob Mason is a relatively unknown guy who deserves a good share of the credit for the historically outstanding levels of goaltending for the Wild.

In his ninth season behind the scenes with the Wild, Mason has coached Duane Roloson, Manny Fernandez, Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding and Jose Theodore, to name a few.

There isn't an average goaltender in the bunch, and Mason is partly responsible, according to Backstrom.

"Every year I've been here, he's been a really big part of my game and helping me," Backstrom said. "I'm a better goalie when I leave the season than when I came into the season, and he's a big factor for that."

Mason, a former top goalie at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, spent Saturday in Dallas working with Backstrom and Theodore, which meant he couldn't attend ceremonies at the final college game in the 44-year-old Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

When Mason played there, it was known as the Duluth Arena, and he had a good enough career to go on to play for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and then 12 years as a pro. He's one of many former Bulldogs standouts — a group that includes Brett Hull, Keith "Huffer" Christiansen, John Harrington, Mark Pavelich, Tom Kurvers and other eventual pro stars — who were saluted Saturday night as members of the UMD's all-time DECC team.

It was an unexpected honor for Mason, 49.

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"I got texts from Tom Kurvers and Billy Watson up there. Billy Watson said we're kind of weak in goal," Mason said with a laugh. "It's myself, Alex Stalock and Chico Resch."

Growing up in International Falls, Minn., Mason's goal was to play in the Western College Hockey Association. He grabbed a scholarship offer from UMD, even if it meant paying his dues for two seasons at the Green Bay of the U.S. Hockey League, and by his sophomore season he was the WCHA's most valuable player.

From there he went to the Olympics and then to a contract with the Washington Capitals, never really considering the possibility of becoming a goalie coach, although he worked for veteran goalie coach Warren Strelow of Mahtomedi during summer camps. He became a volunteer goalie coach at the University of Minnesota in 1995 and worked his way up.

"I guess I'm received pretty good by the goalies, maybe because of my background," Mason said.

"You need a guy who's been there, someone you can talk to," Backstrom said, adding that Mason stays calm and knows how to give a goaltender a psychological boost. "The mental side is a big part of the game. It doesn't matter if you play good or bad, he's going to be there. He's going to have an opinion about your game and he's never going to be too high or too low."

Mason says no matter what's discussed between coach and goalie, it's important to put the reminder in the goaltender's head how good he is.

"You want to leave on a good note," he said. "I want to be positive."

Briefly: Forward Chuck Kobasew returned to the lineup after missing 14 games with a groin injury. Patrick O'Sullivan was scratched to make room for Kobasew. Defenseman Justin Falk was the other healthy scratch.